Mary had a little lamb a la Tchaikovsky
Garrett Harris 10:11 p.m., May 23
Stories for August 2004
Thursday, August 26
Scary Pictures: What Kids See on TV
Ten-year-old Olivia Palmer, a fifth grader at Pacific Beach Elementary, picks up the television remote, presses "on," and touches two numbers, 3 and 6, on the keypad. The TV goes to MTV's Real World. It's ...
Summer Frost Nips Biotechs
As usual, biotech stocks -- including San Diego's -- had a frigid summer. But there are signs that fall may come early this year. San Diego's biotechs are showing some strength. If the overall market ...
Squawk Like a Hawk
Last November Rolando Park residents formed the Rolando Park Community Council to address concerns such as stop signs and red curbs on their streets. Now the council's top priority is to fight the possible loss ...
Explore the woodsy Morgan Trail, off Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mountains.
As I rambled down the Morgan Trail one crisp early-autumn morning before dawn, the crackling of oak leaves underfoot played counterpoint to the drone of a hundred crickets singing in unison. Dozens of cold blue ...
Thursday, August 19
Two Men and their Comic Books
At one time, nearly all American comic books were created in New York City, distributed by union trucking firms, and sold on newsstands or in convenience stores. Only a few dozen comic-book stores existed. Throughout ...
Matthew H. Alice!
Matt H. Alice: What does the H stand for in the expression "Jesus H. Christ"? -- Curious, San Diego The word origin guys actually take this question seriously and offer serious answers, a little too ...
Oh, Deer
Matt Alice: On the streets that go through the canyons of Mira Mesa and Sorrento Mesa, you'll see yellow caution signs advising of deer. There used to be several herds there before Mira Mesa was ...
Idle dishwashers
HeyMatt: If you ever want to outsource, I could answer half of the questions that you publish with no research at all. Why don't you answer one of the true mysteries of our time, namely, ...
This Is a City Teetering on the Edge
The City of San Diego is spinning its way down the slippery slope financially, and the result may be -- surprise -- new taxes. First, consider the spin. Last week, Moody's Investors Service, the bond-rating ...
Circumnavigate Lake Murray on foot, utilizing the shortest practical and legal loop route.
Lake Murray's paved (closed to cars) perimeter path is near East County's most pleasant and most popular place to gulp some fresh air on a summer morning or late afternoon. Unfortunately, the recreation path ends ...
Thursday, August 12
Concrete Comeback
WE REALLY HAVE, from a pedestrian's point of view, two kinds of places in San Diego," said Stephan Vance of the San Diego Association of Governments. "There's the older urban core that was built around ...
Ultimate Warrior
In the spring of 2003, the United States Marines led the invasion of Iraq. At the point of the spear was the First Reconnaissance Battalion out of Camp Pendleton. The platoons of "First Recon" rotated ...
Cafe Blocks City Land-Grab
On July 30, the Michigan Supreme Court stuck a dagger into government's abusive use of eminent domain -- seizing property from one private owner and handing it to a richer owner in the name of ...
Live oaks and dense chaparral smother slopes traversed by the Backbone Trail near Topanga Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The nearly completed Backbone Trail rambles some 55 miles along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains, from Pacific Palisades to Point Mugu State Park. Most sections of this trail traverse dry highland terrain, but ...
Thursday, August 5
You Never Get Your Tattoo Alone
Benson Mauga could be the poster boy for Pacific Island chiefs. A big man with black wavy hair, a regal face, and confident stature, he commands respect. He looks like the great-grandson of a Samoan ...
Pot? Poppies? What's the difference?
High, Matt: If I had a garden full of marijuana, I'd get a visit from the cops. My neighbor has a garden full of poppies. Why hasn't anybody raided her house? -- Lawnboy, San Diego ...
"Chicano." Insulting?
Hey Matt! Where does the term "Chicano" come from? Is there a country called "Chican"? My family considered it a derogatory name for Americans of Mexican descent, derived in Texas in the aftermath of the ...
I Can't Make a Living Doing Only This
A mile or two south of the border, two blocks east of Avenida Revolución on Avenida Negrete, stands the main Tijuana post office. It's a windowless concrete building unremarkable except for the flight of blue ...
Vanished
Those who trusted funds to the late financial adviser William Zures -- including his Rancho Santa Fe parish and some among its members -- may get a portion of their money back, but many snarls ...
Ramble through downtown San Diego on foot, eyeing urban trees and a forest of construction cranes.
Startling changes seem to be occurring at an ever-increasing pace in downtown San Diego -- or "Centre City" as it is sometimes known. Back in 1972, when I first arrived, I'd bicycle over from San ...
